


(Spirit) animal nature

by Nival_Vixen



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire, Complete, Derek Has Feelings, Everybody Lives, F/M, First Time, First Time Topping, Fluff and Smut, Inspired By Tumblr, M/M, Marine Biology, Marine Mammals, Marine biologist Derek Hale, Slow Build Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Spirit Animals, Stiles Feels, Stiles Loves Derek, Stiles grows up, Tattooed Derek, Tattooed Stiles, Tattoos, Underage Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-08 16:28:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1948134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nival_Vixen/pseuds/Nival_Vixen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone has spirit animals that help determine their nature, and nearly everyone finds the physical manifestation of those animals as well. Stiles has a peacock and an octopus - so obviously, he's never going to find his spirit animals, and his nature sucks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(Spirit) animal nature

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this picture](http://nivalvixen.tumblr.com/post/91639859222/au-everyone-has-spirit-animals-that-help), this was meant to be a short story and turned into an 8k+ epic.
> 
> Slow build and first time Stiles/Derek. Eventual NSFW.
> 
> Enjoy!

Stiles hates his spirit animals. Well, not _hate_ -hates, he's not a _complete_ bastard, but he has to admit that they kind of suck. Most people get the kind of spirit animals that represent their spirits and are actually useful. Oh, and y'know, can be seen on a general day-to-day basis or at least eventually _found_ by spirit animal traders, or even the official Spirit Animal Association (SAA).

One kid out in Alaska got a bear and the next day a bear cub just fucking  _appeared_  on his doorstep and now they're the best of friends. Not Stiles.  _Of course not_. The first spirit animal he got was a fucking peacock (where the hell is he going to see a goddamn peacock in the middle of Beacon Hills other than the zoo? That woman that got desperate and tried to steal a tiger from the zoo last year is  _still_  in trouble down in Kentucky). His second spirit animal - and this is where Stiles would like to remind people that Beacon Hills has one river that's more of a creek than an proper body of water, and the ocean is a billion fucking miles away - is an octopus. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, an  _octopus_. There are more  _trees_  than  _people_  in Beacon Hills, and he gets a fucking goddamn  _octopus_  as a spirit animal.

His father has a dog and an owl - basically, loyal and knows when shit's going down. Scott has a dog and a kitten (because he's allowed to be territorial and look as cute as a button at the same time); Allison has a dog and an eagle which is kind of rare, but she's sharp and loyal, so it fits (her parents actually bought her an eagle, and since they're spirit animal traders, it's legal for them to do shit like that); Lydia has an owl and a snake which makes her both cunning and intelligent, especially since those two animals usually don't like each other, but she makes it work; Jackson's got a snake and a lizard which basically means he's a cold-blooded little shit (Stiles might be a little biased here); and Danny has two dogs which is almost as rare as an eagle, but not unheard of, and he's likeable and loyal as all hell -  _everyone_  loves Danny, even Finstock with the racoon and a monkey (apparently, his monkey's a better lacrosse player than Greenberg, and Stiles actually believes that).

Besides the obvious - a proud peacock and an eight-legged octopus that probably means he's too sexually charged - Stiles doesn't really know what his spirit animals mean for him. He's never getting out of Beacon Hills with two spirit animals that he can't even fucking use.

His mother had a horse and a cat which meant she was strong, beautiful and graceful - everything that Stiles isn't - and he has no idea where he gets his peacock's prideful nature from because as far as he can tell, it's not from either of his parents. Stiles likes to think that his octopus' intelligence comes from both of them though.

Now that Allison and Scott have finally got their shit together and are dating for real (the pining and longing glances were giving Stiles a stomach ache), Stiles has more time to spend on his own. He figures if he's ever going to wander across a peacock, it'll probably be in the forest somewhere, so he drives down to the preserve and starts looking. Allison said that she'd ask her parents about his animals, but Stiles doesn't hold much hope for either one -  _who the fuck has a peacock or a fucking octopus to sell?! He's just as likely to find the damn peacock on his own._

"You're on private property," a voice calls out, and Stiles looks up to see one of the most gorgeous guys he's ever seen standing a few feet away.

"What?" Stiles asks, brain going a bit stupid. He realises that he actually recognises the guy as Derek Hale, and he's wandered onto the Hale property.

"This is private property," Derek repeats, raising an eyebrow as if he thinks Stiles is stupid or something.

"There's no sign, or a fence," Stiles points out, a little peeved that this guy's judging him already.

"That's because we don't cage our animals like barbarians," Derek says.

 _Oh, right_. There's a fucking wolf beside him. And overhead, Stiles hears the screech of a hawk. Great, he just had to piss off not one but  _two_  of the most territorial spirit animals; they're probably going to rip his throat out.

"Why are you out here, anyway?" Derek asks, his hand settling in his wolf's fur.

"Looking for my spirit animals," Stiles admits.

Derek nods, as if he understands, then glances to Stiles' body, his animals covered. "What have you got?"

"A peacock and an octopus."

"Seriously? I hope you didn't think you'd find an octopus out here in the woods. The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus isn't actually real, you know," Derek says, grinning.

"No shit, Sherlock. I'm not  _stupid_ ," Stiles replies hotly, embarrassed and prideful.

"Of course you're not; octopuses are the most intelligent of all invertebrates," Derek says, shrugging.

That's something Stiles usually has to bring up when people ask about his spirit animals, and he kind of stands there staring at Derek, surprised that he knows. Stiles questions him, mouth still hanging open in shock, and Derek frowns at him. His wolf seems to relax now and lies down next to her human calmly, watching Stiles curiously.

"I'm a marine biologist, so I'm supposed to know those sorts of things," Derek says.

"Have you seen an octopus before?" Stiles asks excitedly, no longer caring that he's on private property and meant to be leaving.

"A couple; I own one back at work," Derek answers. He sees that Stiles is eager for more information and sighs. "Come on, let's go back to the house and I'll tell you more about it."

Stiles grins broadly and can't bring himself to refuse. He finds out that the Hales are a wolf family, and all of them have a wolf as their first spirit animal. From there it's a little varied. Talia has an owl, Derek's father Frank has a chinchilla, Peter has an iguana, Laura has a ferret that likes to wind around her neck, and Cora, Derek's younger sister has a guinea pig. Stiles stares at it for a while because he's never heard of someone with a  _guinea pig_  before, but Cora seems pretty happy, and he's got a damn peacock, so why the hell not?

Derek seems happy to talk about his work and the octopus he rescued (it lost an arm to escape a predator so he's keeping it safe while it grows the arm back again), and Stiles is an avid listener. The only octopus he's seen is the sad old thing at the aquarium a town over; his class was taken there when they were children, and the teacher had to hold Stiles back from climbing into the tank. The field trip was over pretty quickly after that. The Hales laugh their asses off at his story, and Stiles kind of preens at the attention. He feels better about himself when he can make others happy, and he knows that it's the peacock part of him, but surely it's not that bad if people are laughing?

The evening ends with Derek promising to take Stiles down to his marine lab over the summer. Stiles spends the rest of the night talking about it with his dad, who seems amused at his excitement, and takes it upon himself to introduce himself to the Hales the next day. Stiles is mortified when John tells them how much Stiles has been talking about Derek and Derek's offer - but more about Derek than the offer - and blushes to his roots when Talia and Frank just nod and say the same about Derek. Derek goes pink, and they both escape outside, the wolf and hawk following immediately.

Stiles is surprised that Derek's wolf is so calm around him and lets him pat her, and the hawk actually lands on Stiles' gloved arm when Derek shows him how to call him down properly. It's awesome, really, and he laments that he doesn't have spirit animals as cool as Derek's.

"I think they're pretty cool," Derek admits, grinning and going a faint shade of pink again.

"Well, you're one of the few," Stiles jokes, and the wolf whines, putting her head in his lap as if to comfort him.

"Luka, stop crowding him, you big lump," Derek mutters, but she doesn't respond or move.

"It's all right, I like her crowding me," Stiles says with a grin, patting her again.

Luka pricks an ear up as if to say 'see?!' to Derek and settles down contently.

"What do you do with them while you're out on the ocean?" Stiles asks curiously.

"They come with me, mostly. Bastian likes flying, and Luka doesn't seem to mind the ocean. She frets when I go diving sometimes, but I try to leave someone on board that she trusts and will calm her."

"Can we do that this summer too?" Stiles asks. "I'll stay on the boat and everything," he adds eagerly.

"I'll probably have to take the octopus back out to sea, so I don't see why not."

"Maybe I'll find my spirit animal out there," Stiles muses.

"Certainly have a higher chance than in the preserve," Derek says with a chuckle, laughing outright when Stiles nudges him in the ribs.

...

Turns out, Stiles' octopus spirit animal is a seven and a half armed octopus living in a tank in Derek's marine lab. The tank's big enough for Stiles to get in with the octopus, and he laughs as it wraps it's arms around him in one of the biggest hugs he's ever had. Erica, one of Derek's assistants at the lab, goes wide-eyed when she sees what's happening, and almost trips over her cat to get closer. By the time she's made it the metre to the tank, the octopus' arm has completely grown back, and Derek's staring at the output on his screen. They'd been trying to determine how fast the arm would grow back so they could have a general time-frame for any other injured octopuses. Stiles' presence sped up the healing process by months.

"Who's the kid?" Erica asks Derek, frowning.

"Stiles. He's a friend," Derek replies.

Erica snorts, seeing the flush on Derek's neck and ears when he says 'friend', but doesn't push it.

"Hope I look that happy when I find my dolphin. I swear the damn thing's hiding from me," she mutters, glancing at the dolphin tattoo winding around her wrist.

"Just be thankful you don't have Boyd's whale. Sprit Animal Association aside, he's never going to be able to fit it in his apartment."

"Please, the SAA would probably build Boyd a house on the ocean if he ever found that whale. Couldn't just be a simple pufferfish like Lahey's got," she mutters.

"Derek! Look at this guy's mouth! He's got the cutest octopus beak in the world!" Stiles coos, grinning. "Hi, Derek's friend!"

Erica comes over with Derek to introduce herself, and almost gets pulled into the tank with Stiles and George.

"George, really, Stiles?" Derek asks, shaking his head.

"I'm not the one that named my wolf the feminine name for  _wolf_ ," Stiles points out, smirking.

"Leave Luka out of this," Derek mutters.

Stiles just laughs as he gets out of George's embrace and slips out of the tub. He takes the towel that Erica offers him and starts to dry off.

Derek stares at Stiles' dripping wet body for so long that Erica's cat has to claw his jeans to distract him. He barely resists the urge to glare at Erica, but Bastian seems happy to do it for him.

Stiles asks to keep George at the marine lab, and Derek doesn't hesitate to agree. Stiles has nowhere to really keep an octopus, so it's the only reasonable option. (Derek denies that it's also because Stiles comes down every other weekend to see George;  _Erica, stop smirking like that!_ )

A year later, Erica finds her dolphin in the middle of a pod and actually jumps out of the boat to get to it. Derek has a house by the ocean (not on the actual sand because that's an environmental disaster waiting to happen); it's close enough for Erica to decide to move in with him so she can be closer to her second spirit animal. Isaac and Boyd already live with him, so Derek doesn't mind about the extra company, just as long as she keeps her damn cat away from him (and Isaac's pufferfish; the thing blows up any time her cat's nearby).

Stiles visits George for the whole summer, and stays with Derek with their parents permission (and Erica's amused laughter). Derek is all too aware that Stiles is only 17 and he's 25, and makes sure he keeps a respectful distance even if Luka and Bastian don't. Then one day, Stiles presses Derek up against George's tank and kisses him as though his life depends on it, and Derek is completely and utterly  _gone_. From that point on, he can't keep his hands or his mouth off of Stiles body and lips, and Stiles thrives with the attention. He leaves that summer with the promise of one year to wait, and then proceeds to drive Derek lust crazy via text and Skype, until he contemplates driving up to Beacon Hills and making Stiles come good on his own lustful promises.

Stiles' 18th birthday is fast approaching and Derek still has no idea what to get for him. He says as much at dinner with the other three, and Isaac shakes his head, his dog's head in his lap as he surreptitiously feeds her from his own plate. They're both looking healthier than when they arrived, and Derek's glad for it.

"He's been trying to find his second spirit animal for years, Derek. Why not take him to one of those SAA enclosures? They've usually got listings of the animals they've got, and one might have a peacock," Isaac said with a shrug.

"It's worth looking in to, at least," Erica agrees, her foot rubbing against her cat's stomach gently, and the animal purring contently. "If you can't find one, then we'll think of something else."

Derek finds three SAA enclosures with peacocks, and considering there's usually more than three enclosures in each state, his chances of finding Stiles' peacock are slim. Still, he wants to try. He sighs and looks over to Luka, who's sleeping on his bed.

"What do you think, Luka? Any of these look like Stiles' peacock?" he asks.

Predictably, Luka doesn't answer Derek's question. He contacts the local SAA trader in Beacon Hills, asking if they can transfer the three peacocks to their area for Stiles to see them. Their reply is quick, and he discovers that it costs a hundred and fifty dollars per animal to be transferred, but Derek thinks it will be worth it if he finds Stiles' spirit animal. He pays for the requests mere seconds before he hears a roar outside, and Derek sighs, sticking his head out of his room.

"Boyd, your bear wants to go swimming again!"

"You don't speak bear, stop pretending, Derek!" Erica calls back.

"No, he's right. Shiba loves to swim," Boyd says, grinning.

He ducks out of his room, Erica following and adjusting her shirt, her red lipstick smudged.

"So, I'm assuming you don't need the guest room anymore?" Derek asks Erica, smirking.

Erica just smirks in return. "We'll see. Elle hasn't seen Shiba yet since she was hibernating all winter; they might not be compatible."

Derek rolls his eyes at that; it's obvious that Erica and Boyd are perfect for each other - he calms her and she brings him out of his shell - and he hopes that they'll work on their relationship rather than letting their spirit animals decide for them.

...

"My birthday's not for another week, Derek. What are we doing?" Stiles asks, frowning at Derek the best he can while wearing a blindfold.

Derek turns his head so Stiles is actually facing him, and presses a kiss to his lips. "Stop asking questions and trust me."

"Hmm. Only if we get to do that again in the next hour," Stiles quips, grinning.

"If you're good," Derek murmurs, his lips against his neck.

"Oh, I'll be  _so good_ ," Stiles groans, and Derek doubts that they're talking about today anymore.

Derek pulls away reluctantly, gets out of the car, and opens Stiles' door. He helps him out of the car, guiding him up to the SAA building. Stiles can hear the animals inside, but he doesn't seem to have connected the noise with Derek's present.

"Did I really need a blindfold for the zoo, Derek?" Stiles asks.

Derek bites back his grin so he won't spoil the surprise, and just continues to lead Stiles into the building. The receptionist looks amused, but stays silent and nods Derek through to the door where the peacocks are waiting. The other SAA agencies were all too happy to transfer the peacocks on since they're such rare spirit animals, and Derek sincerely hopes that one of these will be Stiles' second spirit animal. If they're not, then he still has a week to find something else for Stiles' birthday.

"Close your eyes," Derek says, and Stiles frowns again behind the blindfold.

"I'm wearing a blindfold; I literally cannot see anything," he mutters. "All right, my eyes are closed," Stiles adds.

Derek lifts the blindfold carefully and takes it off completely when he sees that Stiles does have his eyes closed. He turns Stiles slightly and, unable to resist, presses a quick kiss to his neck.

"You can open your eyes now," Derek murmurs, lips brushing against his skin.

"If we're at a zoo and there's kids around while I'm seconds away from getting a boner, I'm..." Stiles rush of words trails off as he realises exactly what's in front of him. "I... Derek, they're...  _Holy fuck_."

"Go say hi; take your time," Derek says, grinning broadly at the dazed expression on Stiles' face.

Stiles kind of stumbles forward, the three peacocks splaying their bright and colourful tails as he approaches, crowding around him eagerly. They can all tell he has a peacock spirit animal, and due to the rarity, it might actually take Stiles a few minutes to determine if one of these is his.

Derek doesn't have to wait long before he hears Stiles' laugh of delight and pure wonder, and sees him stroking one of the peacocks gently.

"Found him! Come say hi to Fred!"

Derek takes a step forward, then stops. "Fred and George? Stiles, you absolute nerd."

"Shut up, I'm awesome," he mutters, still too entranced with his peacock to put much heat behind the words. Stiles grins up at Derek and tugs him down beside him, kissing him firmly. " _You're_  awesome. You found my spirit animal," Stiles says.

Derek smiles and hugs him. Fred nips at Derek as if to say that Stiles is his human now and to leave him alone.

"You're going to have to share me, Fred," Stiles mutters, stroking his head softly. "Let's get out of here so you can meet George. And my dad; did he know about this? He's been so quiet all week, I thought I did something wrong!"

"Yeah, I told him. I'm pretty sure everyone except you knows. Even Scott knows, and I don't actually know how he managed to keep it a secret," Derek snickers; he learned the hard way to never entrust a secret to Scott. He might be loyal, but he has absolutely no poker face.

"Oh, that traitor! That's why Allison's always been hanging around us lately; so he wouldn't tell me. Ooh, he's getting the hose."

Fred puffs up his chest, feathers pushing out further, and Stiles grins at his display.

"Yeah, we'll tell 'im, Fred. C'mon, let's go show you off, you beautiful boy," Stiles murmurs.

As Derek had already paid for the transfer of all three peacocks, the usual SAA fee was waived, and after Stiles had signed his paperwork and photos were taken of his spirit animal tattoos, they were allowed to leave. The photo would be transferred to the SAA organisation so that he couldn't purchase another peacock, claiming it to be his spirit animal. He had already registered George, and Stiles was glad that he wouldn't have to go to another SAA registration building again.

When Fred was sitting in Derek's car calmly, Stiles kissed Derek firmly, thanking him wordlessly before he hugged him and thanked him aloud as well.

"You're welcome, Stiles. Happy birthday, a bit early, I know," Derek adds, grinning.

"Well, if I'm getting my presents early, you won't mind me opening another?" Stiles murmurs, hand sliding down to cup Derek over his jeans.

" _Jesus_ , Stiles. Not yet. One more week; we promised your dad nothing below the waist while you're underage, remember?" Derek breathes out unsteadily.

"Damn it. Fine, but let it be known that I'm hitting it off  _at least_  twice later tonight and you'll be missing out on all this."

Derek groans, breath hot against Stiles' neck as his thigh slots in between Stiles' legs. He opens his eyes to see Fred judging him, and pulls away before they can do anything else.

"Fred's judging me, I know he is. Seven more days. We've waited this long," Derek says, his fists clenched tight.

"I know, but a week's never felt this long before," Stiles mutters. "Fred, stop judging us. You can't judge until I get you a peafowl girlfriend, then we'll see what happens."

Derek gets in the car before he backs Stiles up against it,  _screw_  his morals and promises.

...

The week feels like a year, and Derek forces himself to leave his phone at home so he won't be distracted by Stiles' numerous texts - every single one involves dirty talk that makes his knees weak - and only allows himself on Skype three of the seven nights. Stiles video calls him wearing less and less, until Derek's almost positive that he's naked in the last one. He spends a good ten minutes just staring at the spirit animal tattoos on Stiles' skin, contemplating how long it would take to trace them with his tongue, then moving onto Stiles' moles and freckles...

Stiles' laughter brings him out of his fantasy, and he flushes, looking at his face quickly.

"What's so funny?"

"I like that look on you; you look like you're thinking dirty things about me. Tell me?" Stiles asks, crossing his arms over his chest and bringing attention to his tattoos again.

"I'll be there tomorrow, Stiles; I'll show you instead."

"And give me nothing now? Aw, come on. What was it about? I know you were thinking something about me," Stiles says, pouting.

Derek hears a shout from downstairs and frowns. "Something's going on; I'll be right back."

"Goddamn it, Derek," Stiles calls with a pout.

Luka nimbly jumps up on Derek's chair and looks at Stiles on the screen, giving a whine.

"You know he wants me, don't you, Luka?" Stiles murmurs. "He'd better be taking you to see George now and then; he gets lonely there, I know it. I'll be down for summer, and if I get into UCLA like I'm hoping, then I'm not leaving. Planning on a Bachelor in Spirit Animal Science, so I can help others find their spirit animals, like Derek helped me. Sounds good, doesn't it? What do you think, Bastian? You like the idea of me being there and sexing Derek up, don't you? Of course you do... Uh, hi Erica. How long have you been standing there?" Stiles asks nervously.

"Long enough," Erica says, raising an eyebrow briefly. "Does Derek know you're planning on moving in?"

"I didn't say I'd be moving in, just that I'd be there. Moving in would be too quick, and I'm getting accommodation at UCLA if they accept me," Stiles says quickly. "What's going on over there?"

"Boyd's found his whale," Erica says, grinning broadly. "He's been mapping the ocean all week; I have no idea how he kept that damn bear on the boat for as long as he did... Now, when are you telling Derek about UCLA?"

"I'm waiting for an acceptance letter before I officially decide anything."

"Huh, sounds like you've officially decided on a few things already. It's a good thing to know what you want, Stiles. Just make sure that you both want it," she adds, smiling.

"Erica, what are you doing in my room?" Derek growls.

"Just talking with Stiles about college," Erica replies, patting his chest as she slips past.

Derek closes the door behind her, looking to his wolf and hawk with a frown. Then he sits at his computer, wary of what Erica's said to Stiles.

"What did she say?"

"College stuff," Stiles says with a shrug. "Oh, and Boyd's found his whale, apparently."

"Yeah, a big blue whale. It shouldn't have been anywhere near the area, but it seems like it's been searching for him as long as Boyd's been searching for it... You sure Erica didn't say anything?"

Stiles shrugs again. "Nothing I didn't already know." He sighs when he sees that Derek's not going to let it go, and continues, "I wanted to wait until I heard from UCLA first, but I've applied to study Spirit Animal Science there. I've requested one of the dorm rooms, 'cause moving in with you's probably way too much too soon, but I thought we could see each other more often that way, and I'd be able to take George out in the ocean too," Stiles rambles, obviously nervous.

"Sounds like a great idea to me. If you change your mind about the dorm room, I ... well, I do have a spare room here, and board's cheap, but you have to put up with Erica's cat getting in the way, and Boyd's bear gets grumpy if she doesn't go swimming, and Isaac's dog is scared of loud noises, but ... uh, yeah, it's here if you want it."

Stiles grins broadly, ear to ear, and Derek's able to ease his pounding heart simply because he looks so damn happy.

"What if I want to sleep in your room?" he asks.

"It could be arranged," Derek replies, blushing.

Stiles immediately starts hunting through his desk, frowning and muttering words that the video call doesn't quite catch.

"What are you looking for?" Derek asks curiously.

"Contact information for UCLA; gonna tell them I don't need the dorm room after all."

"We should probably discuss it with your dad first, Stiles," Derek says, grinning.

"Before or after we have sex? 'Cause the minute everyone's gone, I'm having my way with you against the closest flat surface. If we want to talk to him, we might need to do it before then," Stiles says with a smirk.

 _One more night, one more night, one more night_.

"Yeah, before then," Derek agrees breathlessly.

...

The Sheriff doesn't look exactly surprised when Stiles and Derek suggest the idea. Derek says that he has a guest room which Stiles can use while he's studying at UCLA, but John doesn't look at all convinced that that's where his son will actually be sleeping at night. He agrees, tells them to be safe, and Stiles mutters something about the ground swallowing him whole while Derek tries not to blush. No matter how old he gets, it never seems to get any easier to discuss sex without going red. It probably doesn't help that Stiles is pressed so close to his body that he can feel his body heat.

Stiles' birthday party starts at noon with everyone instructed to bring their own plate of food for both themselves and their animals. The Hales are invited, as well as Erica, Boyd, and Isaac, and by the time Scott, Allison, Danny, and Lydia arrive, the backyard's full of animals playing and tussling with each other. Bastian's found a new sport in annoying Fred, who puffs up anytime the hawk flies nearby. Stiles says they're just flirting, and Scott, who's working to become a veterinarian, agrees with him and looks a little misty-eyed at the thought.

The presents range from the practical (a cookbook with healthy meals for students on a budget from Melissa) to the odd ( _William Shakespeare's Star Wars_  from Scott) to the downright embarrassing (a box of various kinds of lube and condoms from Erica, who doesn't look the least bit ashamed). Derek finds out that Laura and Stiles have been talking online and she's bought him a Polaroid camera that has Stiles gushing excitedly and eager to try out immediately. Despite finding Fred as his present, Derek didn't want to show up empty handed, and bought Stiles an Iron Man mug that revealed the core reactor when heated. Stiles immediately rushed off to make a hot chocolate, laughing when he saw the core reactor, and uses his new camera to take a photo.

After marathoning  _Star Wars_  with their lunch - apparently Scott had never seen them before, and this was the only way Stiles was going to be able to get him to watch the movies - Stiles cut his cake and they all headed outside to sit with their animals, most of which were dozing on the warm grass comfortably. They all chatted for a while, a few people leaving here and there, and after Melissa invited John over for dinner, only Stiles and Derek remained.

"Best birthday ever," Stiles murmurs, curling up against Derek's chest.

Fred's feathers lay across Stiles and Derek's laps like a blanket, the peacock dozing with Bastian by his side.

"I can't believe Erica bought me that box. It's going to take at least a month to get through it all," Stiles snickers.

"A month? That's a bit ambitious."

"I would've said two weeks, but we have to eat and sleep," he mutters, a little sourly.

Derek grins and kisses him. "Get Fred off of us, and we'll break it open now."

"Fred, get moving, buddy," Stiles calls quickly.

Fred doesn't seem pleased to be woken, ruffling his feathers indignantly, but moves on anyway, and is already asleep again by the time Stiles and Derek make it back up to the house.

The moment they're inside, Stiles turns and kisses Derek eagerly, arms winding around his neck, and Derek has to hold onto Stiles, has to touch him, because if he doesn't he knows he'll combust with pure need. Stiles moans and licks his way into his mouth, and they're good at this, after a year of tongues and lips and teeth, but there's more they can do right now, and Derek slips his hands down to cup Stiles' ass firmly. Stiles copies the motion with a grin, grinding his hips down against Derek's firmly. Derek knows they have to get upstairs, otherwise they'll fuck right there in the kitchen, but he can't let go of Stiles long enough to move in the direction of the stairs.

"Stiles, upstairs. Bedroom," he pants, lips still pressing against his.

"Mmm. You go and strip, I'll grab that box," Stiles says, licking his lips before stepping back.

Derek runs upstairs. He's pulled off his shirt and is in the process of unbuttoning his jeans when Stiles arrives, box tucked under one arm and his new Polaroid camera in the other. Stiles grins and takes a photo before Derek can protest, laughing as he holds the printed photograph away from Derek's grabbing hands. Stiles moves back and holds the photo under his dark desk to let the picture develop, making sure to face Derek so he can't steal it from him.

"I hate getting photos taken, Stiles," Derek groans, finally unbuttoning his jeans, but not taking them off yet.

"You'll learn to love it; why do you think I asked for this bad boy?" Stiles asks, grinning. "Oh, you look so flustered and gorgeous. I'm keeping this one in my wallet."

Derek moves over to look, and Stiles is right, he's flushed and looking down at his pants like they've mortally offended him, arms firm and lips swollen. Stiles sets the photo and camera down, then kisses Derek with long slow coaxing kisses as he walks them back to the bed and pushes Derek's jeans and briefs down over his hips.

"Stiles, clothes, now," Derek mutters, tugging at his shirt.

"Mmm, soon. Lie down," Stiles murmurs, nudging Derek back onto the mattress.

"You going to top?" Derek asks, breathless at the thought of Stiles inside of him.

Stiles bites his lip and nods. "If you don't mind? It'll help calm me down; didn't think I'd be this nervous."

"I just want you, Stiles; I don't mind how, so long as you're comfortable and happy," Derek says, pulling him down for a kiss.

Stiles kisses him back firmly, then steps back to strip off his own clothes. Derek watches eagerly with each expanse of skin that's revealed, and Stiles seems to take delight in the hunger in Derek's gaze, getting more confidence with each button on his shirt. When Stiles is finally standing naked before him, Derek drinks him in, cataloguing each freckle and mole, the goosebumps that trail along his skin, the two spirit animals on his chest and right shoulder, and then he sees another black mark on Stiles' left arm. He sits up properly and tugs him over wordlessly, turning his arm to see the tattoo. It's a combination of two animals, a hawk's wings dipping to his forearm, and rising up to a wolf howling at the moon. They're his spirit animals, Stiles has a part of him on his skin now, and Derek doesn't know what to say to that, doesn't think there are any words to express what he's feeling. He presses a kiss to the tattoo, and Stiles shivers, standing between his legs easily.

"Wanted it to be a surprise. You... you mean so much to me, Derek, and even if we end up hating each other for some stupid reason, you'll always be a part of me. I love you," Stiles gasps out, cheeks red and heart pounding wildly under Derek's lips.

"Love you too, Stiles. Ever since I saw you on our land, and you argued that we didn't have a sign or fence," Derek says, grinning.

"Noticed that there's a sign up now," Stiles snickers.

"Hmm, apparently we can only get so many people wandering on our land before Peter supposedly snaps," Derek mutters, pulling Stiles close to press a kiss to his skin, directly between his ribs and stomach.

"Can I fuck you now, Der? Been thinking about this all week."

"According to your texts, you've been thinking about it a lot longer than that," Derek murmurs, grinning as he settles back on the bed and slips a pillow under his hips.

"Well, I've been thinking about fucking you constantly this week. Had a hard-on in one of my final exams because of you," Stiles mutters.

"How's that my fault?" Derek asks, surprised.

"You sent me a text telling me good luck in my exam. My very vivid imagination somehow ended up with you in a doctor's office giving my prostate a very thorough examination."

"It's bad that I can almost see how you'd go from my text to that in your head, isn't it?"

"It's because you own a lab coat. When we get home, you're fucking me wearing nothing but that coat and a condom," Stiles groans.

"Pretty sure I'll be wearing a smile as well," Derek snorts, while Stiles rolls his eyes.

Stiles rests the box of condoms and lube on Derek's stomach, hunting through it to look at the selection. He scrunches his nose at the flavoured ones, then grins broadly and pulls out a box, showing it to Derek as he grabs a bottle of plain lube.

"Glow in the dark? I don't think it's dark enough for them to be useful," Derek points out.

Stiles, who already has a foil packet in his mouth, looks out to the evening sky, then back to Derek. "Not dark out there, but it is in there," he murmurs, pressing a finger against Derek's rim.

His laugh of disbelief at the lame joke turns into a sudden gasp as Stiles presses against him, and Derek arches his hips almost involuntarily.

"Fine, _fuck_. Fuck me," Derek groans.

Stiles pulls the foil packet out of his mouth to press a kiss to his mouth, then slides the condom on his cock slowly, Derek watching carefully. Stiles likes to be watched, but more than that, he likes to be seen, and Derek will always take the time to see him. He's hard by the time the condom's on, and then Stiles starts to lube up his fingers, slowly, teasing and torturing. Then, with a grin that shows he knows exactly what he's doing to Derek, Stiles starts caressing his lubed fingers against Derek's rim. He doesn't stop until Derek's gasping his name, and then he takes the time to lube up his covered cock, Derek growling and writhing for more.

"You still want me?" Stiles asks, voice quieter and more vulnerable than even he anticipated.

Derek doesn't even hesitate in his answer, nodding firmly. "Always."

Stiles brightens up immediately, and moves so he's settled between Derek's legs, circling his rim gently before pushing a finger in up to the knuckle. Derek's breath catches, and he can't look away from Stiles, who's staring at him as though he holds the secret to the universe. Stiles starts off slow, dragging his finger in and out of Derek, making him beg for the second. He doesn't question Derek this time, and two fingers slide in up to his first knuckle. Derek claws at the bedsheets, not daring to look away from Stiles as he starts scissoring and stretching his body, getting him ready for a third finger. Derek can't believe the sounds that are coming out of his own mouth; he's done this before and he's positive that he's never sounded like  _this_. Stiles slides a third finger inside and Derek arches off the bed, a guttural moan ripping from him.

"Stiles,  _fuck me_. Now," Derek pleads.

Stiles nods, his eyes flicking between Derek's face and where his fingers are buried in Derek's ass. He slides his fingers out, slowing down to watch carefully, and Derek almost whines when he's empty again. Stiles soothes him, kissing his knee before he grabs Derek's hips and tries to position his hard cock against his ass.

Derek takes Stiles' hands off his hips and arches up briefly.

"It's hard to get it right the first time," Derek murmurs.

Stiles nods, guiding his cock firmly until the tip presses against his hole.

"Tell me if I do anything wrong, okay? I don't want this to be bad," Stiles admits.

"I'll tell you," Derek promises as he grabs Stiles' hand and squeezes.

Stiles brings their entwined fingers up to his mouth and kisses Derek's fingers, then eases his way into Derek carefully. Derek's hips jerk at the sensation, trying to get more, and Stiles moans at the friction. Stiles rocks his hips up against Derek's, moving faster and harder when Derek begs him to. Again, Stiles can't seem to decide where to look, and looks between their joined bodies to Derek's flushed face, and Derek wonders what he sees that makes him look so amazed.

"Harder, Stiles.  _Fuck me_ ," Derek groans.

Stiles seems to take Derek's plea to heart, holding his hips with both hands and starting to pull Derek into every thrust until he's hoarse from begging. He adapts and learns what Derek likes, what he needs, easily switching between hard and fast and prolonged deep thrusts that make him moan. Stiles is smart and confident, and Derek's never stood a chance against him, especially not while in the bedroom of the sexually charged 18 year old. Derek finds he doesn't mind so much, his legs wrapping around Stiles' waist to try and hold him inside of him for that much longer.

"Almost there.  _Please_ ," Derek groans, lifting his hips on trembling legs.

For once, Stiles can't think of anything to say in response. He just moves harder, and since he's got his rhythm going, he finds that he's able to move a hand to stroke Derek's hard and leaking cock between them. Derek swears and jerks, body and cock, and then he's straining to fuck up into Stiles' grip.

"Tighter. Please, Stiles, fuck, please, more," Derek begs.

He bites his lip, tightening his grip as he continues to jerk Derek off. He feels Derek tense up under him, his cock spurting over Stiles' chest and dripping onto Derek's torso. His ass is squeezing around Stiles' cock and he can't hold back, grabs his hips and fucks him for all he's worth. Stiles comes hard with Derek's name on his lips, and he collapses on Derek's chest, breathing heavily and softening inside of his twitching ass.

"That... that was better than I expected," Stiles admits, breathless and listening to Derek's pounding heart beneath his ear.

"Mmm, just wait 'til I fuck you," Derek murmurs, running his hand through Stiles' hair gently.

He grins as he feels his cock give an interested twitch, and Stiles lifts his head to look at Derek properly.

"Wear the glow in the dark condom? It's getting dark enough now," Stiles adds, grinning.

"Fine, but I cross the line at glow in the dark lube."

"What about glow in the dark body paint?"

Derek goes quiet, hands stroking Stiles' back now. "I could probably be persuaded."

Stiles pulls out of Derek slowly, wincing at the mess that follows. He ties off the condom and throws it in the bin with a practiced arm. "I'll let the animals in if you get the washcloth to clean us up."

"Give me a minute; my legs will be as steady as jelly if I stand up now," Derek mutters.

"Heh, I made your legs jelly," Stiles says, grinning broadly. Then his grin fades suddenly, and he stares down at Derek. "Fuck, the Jellylegs curse is  _ruined_  for me now! Or improved? Hmm, I'll have to think about it."

Derek laughs and pulls Stiles down for a kiss. "Go, let them in before Luka scratches the door down."

"If she does, you're re-painting the door!" Stiles says over his shoulder as he leaves the bedroom, his own legs a little unsteady.

Derek grins at the sight, and after a few more moments, he gets out of bed to get a washcloth from the bathroom. He comes back to the bedroom to find Luka on the bed, Bastian perched on Stiles' desk chair, and Fred splayed out in the middle of the room and judging him.

"Out, the three of you. And stop judging me, Fred," Derek mutters.

"They bolted in, I had to close up after them. Also, I think one of my neighbours saw all my junk. Next time, remind my sex stupid brain to put pants on before I leave the bedroom."

"I'm pretty sure next time will be at home; if I don't remind you, Erica definitely will," Derek snorts.

"Ah, no! She can't see my junk, she'll probably pinch my butt," Stiles laments, grabbing his ass with a pout.

Well, Derek's not about to let  _that_  opportunity pass. He pulls Stiles in for a kiss, reaching around and pinching his ass firmly. Stiles squeaks into his mouth, surprised. His expression softens as Derek caresses the pinched area lightly, and he crowds up against his chest, pressing their bodies together.

Luka gets off the bed, Fred moves his tail out of the way, and Bastian doesn't seem inclined to move, as the three animals apparently decide to stay in the room. Derek and Stiles are so focused on each other that they barely notice, and when Stiles mutters something about them watching, Derek shakes his head because all three animals are sleeping soundly. (Fred snaps his beak at them when Stiles screams his orgasm an hour later, Bastian ruffles his feathers, but Luka doesn't bother to open an eye, simply turning over to continue sleeping.)

...

UCLA accepts Stiles, and while he'd like to say it's due to his outstanding academic record, he's pretty sure that the fact he has an octopus and peacock as his spirit animals is a higher factor of their acceptance. The Dean always seems to be around when Fred walks with Stiles across campus, and while he seems like a friendly enough guy, Fred loathes the owl and albatross that accompany the Dean. Fred usually walks between Stiles and the Dean, tail feathers flailing behind him and dismissive, and after Stiles apologises, he usually has to run after Fred who never fails to try and attack one of the Dean's curious birds.

"I swear Fred's trying to get me kicked out of UCLA," Stiles groans one night after Fred actually managed to get a beak full of the albatross' feathers.

"He's just annoyed you're not paying attention to him, Stiles. Leslie was the same with me," Isaac said, looking over to his pufferfish fondly.

"Any time I try to pay attention to him, he gets all huffy and walks away again! And dude, don't compare a peacock to a pufferfish, they're totally different species."

"Doesn't make their reactions any different," Isaac replies with a shrug. "Just spend a bit of time with Fred - alone, for once. You're always hugging George the minute you're in the lab, but unless you happen to wander in the same room, you never really go looking for Fred," he points out.

Stiles sighs and nods, and goes to find Fred. He eventually finds Fred standing up on the roof, curled up near Bastian's perch. Fred looks down and regards Stiles but doesn't move.

"Don't be like that, Fred. I'm trying, okay? Now, I know I've been bad, but how about we go for a walk? Just you 'n me," Stiles adds.

Fred doesn't seem totally convinced, but flies off the roof anyway. Stiles turns on his phone flash to use as a light, and starts walking with Fred trailing beside him.

"Perk up a bit, Fred. There's no 101 on how to treat your spirit animal, y'know, and I'm doing the best I can... I'm lucky I've even found you, really. Derek had you transported from a SAA building so I'd be able to see you, and without him, I might not have found you at all. And you're still the prettiest spirit animal I've ever seen, even when you don't want to parade around with your tail feathers," he compliments.

Fred makes a noise that Stiles chooses to interpret as a good thing.

"Want to pick up the pace a bit, Fred? I've seen you running after Bastian so I know how fast you can go," Stiles says with a grin, starting to jog.

Fred's tail feathers pick up slowly and he starts to do his peacock-y run beside Stiles.

"There we go, buddy. How about we do this at night? Our own thing to do together, okay Fred?"

Fred  _definitely_  makes a pleased sound in response.

Later that night, after Stiles has brushed Fred down and checked his feathers, Fred stays in his lap and falls asleep. It's the first time he's done that in months, and Stiles grins a little, stroking his neck gently.

"How's Fred doing?" Derek asks softly, not wanting to wake the peacock.

"I think we'll both be better now," Stiles murmurs, grinning at him.

"Glad you've worked things out," he replies, kissing the top of Stiles' head. "Isaac's planning on expanding the tank for Leslie. Do you mind if we bring George in?"

"Of course I don't mind. I've been saving up to get George his own tank, so if I can pay towards the expansion, let me know."

"I'll let Isaac know."

Stiles edges out from underneath Fred slowly, not wanting to wake him, and grins proudly when he succeeds. He goes to the bathroom to wash up before bed, and spends a few moments looking at his spirit animal tattoos. He has both of his spirit animals now, and though they never seemed to fit together before, or even make sense to him at times, Stiles knows better now. He grins at his reflection, confident and intelligent in his own right, and Stiles wouldn't change his spirit animals for the world.

...

The end.

Thanks for reading.


End file.
